Many of the voters who voted for Brexit “felt abandoned and unheard in an increasingly unequal Britain marked by vast wealth in parts of south-east England and austerity and post-industrial abandonment elsewhere. Income levels in London have risen by a third since the financial crash–but have dropped by 14% in Yorkshire and Humberside.” Their concerns are real, but “all the major parties have, in different ways, let the country down on Brexit,” making a second referendum essential.

When the World Cup concludes, “the problems that plagued Brazil’s hosting effort will remain…. Brazil will face major challenges in its transformation from one of the world’s most unequal societies into a thriving democracy.”